


When It All Started (A Lost Satellite)

by shamandalie (meridalocksley)



Series: Vis A Vis & El Oasis [1]
Category: Vis a Vis | Locked In (Spain TV)
Genre: Enemies to Friends, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24212473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridalocksley/pseuds/shamandalie
Summary: 🔶️El Oasis "Prequel" (canon timeline)🔶️Set around the time they agreed to form a team, before them moving in together.» The first drinks after jail, a shooting lesson, the first heist, sharing a bed.This works as a prequel for my longshot fics (On the run with your enemy and later On The Other Shore.
Relationships: Zulema Zahir/Macarena Ferreiro
Series: Vis A Vis & El Oasis [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747813
Comments: 20
Kudos: 126





	1. A lost satellite

**Author's Note:**

> I am reluctant to update my main Zulema/Maca fic before next week (I also quite ran out of ideas right now, and whatever I start writing I am not satisfied with... So I just put it aside for now).
> 
> Buuut I am still in the mood to write, and this came to my mind. This won't be longer than 2 or 3 chapters. I am obsessive-compulsive enough to want to make it work as a prequel for my other fic, but I won't force it, I am not sure yet where exactly I'll go with it, so feel free to read it as a stand-alone piece.
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy it. :)
> 
> (Edit: It turned out to be a prequel. 🙃)

Macarena closed the door of her small apartment. It was not only small, it was also dark and bleak and lonely. Through the window she could only see the wall of another building. Most of her monthly salary went on paying the rent for this hole, yet she felt like she was suffocating in there.

She still had no idea what she expected to achieve with meeting Zulema on her first day out of jail, but what she achieved was a bruise under her eye and a dose of self-hate. 

She went back to the jail a couple of times to visit Zulema after she got out, soon after the Sandoval-caused riot. They were not amiable, but they've had a history, and they were the only people in each other's lives who were genuinely interested in how the other is doing. Even if it was just for them to make sure that the other is still miserable. 

And she has been waiting for this day as a kid waits for Christmas. She has even had vivid dreams about Zulema appearing in her life again. _I'm an idiot._ Macarena threw her jacket on the back of a chair and fell on her bed. _I missed her._

_._

She hasn't heard from Zulema for the rest of the week.

One evening when she was walking home from work she passed by a car wash and noticed a black haired employee having an argument with a client. 

_No way..._ she stopped and stared into their direction almost laughing. She hesitated for a moment, then when the car drove away she approached the woman. "How's your new job?" 

Zulema looked at her surprised. Her hair was messy, her cheek dirty and her gaze tired. "Which was my old one?" 

Macarena just smiled.

"What are you doing here?" the brunette asked being slightly irritated. "Will you keep popping up just like this in my life from now on? To be honest with you, you're not the company I hoped for." 

"I was just passing by. And I saw you. It was quite a view seeing you like this." Macarena laughed.

"Do you want me to punch you in the face again?" Zulema looked at her impatiently.

Macarena stared back at her. "My job is also shit, I've told you. Would you want to get a drink when you're done? We could catch up with each other's misery." she said shrugging. 

Zulema rolled her eyes. 

Half an hour later they were sitting in a cheap restaurant, drinking beer. 

"You won't be able to do this for long, I tell you." Macarena blinked at Zulema.

"It is good to know that you are believing in me." Zulema said bitterly and stared out through the window at the people walking by.

"We're trapped. It's worse than being in the jail." Macarena sighed. "Well, from a certain point of view at least... There at least I had people to talk to other than my therapy group."

Zulema looked back at her. "You're seeking out my company because you're lonely?" she laughed. "What the hell do you expect from _me_?"

Macarena looked at her bottle, pondering. _Yeah, what was she looking for?_

"Maybe the reassurance that if you can't get out of this either, then I am doing fine." she shrugged. 

Zulema snorted. "Lovely." 

There has been an awkward silence between them for a while.

"Where did you find a place to stay?" Macarena asked.

Zulema looked at her with a smirk raising an eyebrow. "That's a bit soon to ask in the middle of our first date, isn't it?" then she changed back to her previous, bored and irritated tone. "In a shitty trailer, it's placed at a five minutes distance from here. If you have to go in the direction of the park, you'll see it." she drank the rest of her beer and looked at Macarena. "Do you want to see it?" 

.

The trailer was indeed shitty. Old and small, barely providing enough space for one person. But there was also something comforting about it. It was Zulema's own place. Out in the open, where you could hear the chirping of the birds and the wind playing with the leaves of the trees, far enough from the city centre to be able to see the stars. Macarena realised that Zulema was still doing better than she was.

A dog ran towards them barking, Macarena was startled. 

"Relax, that's just Scorpius." the dog playfully jumped around Zulema who stroked its head.

"You have a dog?!" Macarena asked with disbelief.

"No. He's just roaming free around here. I feed him when I can. I have no idea what his name is, so I gave him one myself."

Macarena looked at the dog then back at Zulema being amazed. She has never seen this side of her. This woman was a calculated, manipulative murderer, yet here she was now, caring more about stray dogs than she did. Zulema leaned down to pick up a twig and threw it away. The wind fluttered her hair as she gazed at Scorpius running after it, and for a moment Macarena found herself being captured by her presence. 

"We are all looking for something we can chase, aren't we?" Zulema asked pensively. "Or to be chased." she added laughing bitterly. "It at least gives you direction. Either option is better than what we have right now."

Macarena swallowed. She was thinking the same thing. 

"It's late. And tomorrow I start at 7 am." Zulema looked at Macarena with a painful sigh. "I'd invite you to spend the night here, but as you can see it's not very spacious..." she said with sarcasm and looked at her trailer pouting. 

"Of course." Macarena smiled and took a step backwards. "Good night. And... enjoy your next day at work! It gets worse with every day which passes." she added with a grin then left. 

.

Two weeks later they were sitting once again in the cheap restaurant. 

"You really think we could do this? This is crazy!" Macarena asked, but she was not expecting an answer. She knew it.

She felt a fresh enthusiasm sparking inside of her, something she hasn't been feeling for a very long time. Something she was looking for. She has just closed the door of her workplace, for the last time, she hoped, and came here to celebrate a new beginning.

Zulema was thinking. "Yes. But there are a couple of things we have to agree about. Four, actually."

Macarena blinked at her, waiting. 

"Firstly, we don't kill each other. Secondly, we'll go on with our shitty jobs for a while, we need the money until we manage to kickstart our business. We won't be able to go back there soon enough anyway. Three, when you'll have to move out of your place because the police will be looking for us, you have to sort that out, we won't be moving in together. Our association has limits." she took a sip from her drink. "And four, you get a gun, but you'll have to practice using it." she said smirking.

"And five, we part the loot equally." Macarena added smiling sharply at her associate.

"Yeah, obviously..." Zulema said to the table coughing, then she raised her glass. 

"Let's drink to ourselves and our future successes then!" 

Macarena touched Zulema's glass with hers. "And to finally leaving behind the bars." she added, looking at Zulema with a joyful smile.

.

As she returned to her apartment, the walls were suddenly not feeling like bars. Macarena threw her jacket on the back of a chair and fell back on her bed laughing. _I am not sane..._ she thought, but she was still smiling, her heart racing.

It was not the first time that Zulema offered her her freedom, but until now it was always either accidentally, despite it being her intention or Macarena having a say in the matter.

This time it was different. She was aware that it was still selfish, and calculating, and risky and it will surely be filled with ups and downs. Besides, it was better working together with Zulema than against her. And although not even she herself has been aware of it until this day, she had to admit it to herself that since she started being fed up with this new version of her everyday life... This was everything she's been looking for. 

_Of course..._ _Regarding the driving force, the adrenaline, the action, the money._ The fact that it was exactly Zulema whom she had to team up with to be able to do this, had absolutely nothing to do with her newly found spark of enthusiasm _._

 _The reason why I teamed up with her is that it was an unfortunate necessary evil. Just that. s_ he told herself and got up from her bed, went into the bathroom to wash her face, got into her pyjamas, and got back into her bed, being totally aware of, and in the same time consciously ignoring the fact that she was not being entirely honest with herself.

.


	2. The lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have no idea about what shooting a gun implies, so ignore the technical details, that's not the point anyway. 😅

"Is this really necessary?" Macarena whined. "I've shot with a gun before, I remind you."

"Having used one and actually knowing how to use one are different things." Zulema said patiently.

"I don't intend to shoot anyone. I just want the authority it offers, we can't do much without that I admit, but that's all."

"Yeah, of course. How charming." Zulema was positioning the target on the top of a pile of logs.

"Where have you found that thing? It gives me the creeps..." Macarena said scornfully.

Zulema looked at the Barbie doll sitting on top of the logs. "I found it under the bed when I moved into my trailer."

"And you kept it?" Macarena laughed judgingly.

"I thought it could be useful sometime. It reminded me of what douchebags deserve." she looked at the toy with disgust. "And it also reminded me of how superficial blondes are..." she said on a lighter tone. "You can choose your own interpretation for it." she shrugged and looked at the blonde.

"I have a gun in my hand, Zulema." Macarena said being annoyed. 

Zulema smiled, she stepped away from the target jumped up on a bigger rock and sat down on the top of it. 

"Then go on, aim!" she said calmly.

Macarena raised the gun, aimed at the toy and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew into the distance passing by the smirking doll.

Zulema followed it with her gaze. "I've told you..." she sighed. "Try it again." she looked back at Macarena.

She tried it again. And she missed it, again.

"Again." Zulema said laying back onto her elbows. 

"It's a bit annoying the way you are playing the master." Macarena snapped at her. "You're not being very helpful."

Zulema rolled her eyes. She jumped off the rock and approached Macarena. 

"What do you want me to do?" she asked spreading her arms as she stepped near her. "To guide your hands myself? Fine, I can do that." and before Macarena could have protested, Zulema stepped behind her, she grabbed the gun as well putting her hands over Macarena's and looked at the target from above her shoulder. 

"Don't squeeze it so tightly. And aim a bit higher." she said then she pulled the trigger. The doll fell on the ground a few meters further away. "See?" 

Macarena was distracted by feeling Zulema's body so close, and feeling the warmth of her breath on her neck as she talked. She had to pull herself together to process what she just said. 

Zulema let go of her hand and went to pick up the doll. "The poor thing has lost an arm." she said from the distance as she placed it back to its place then came back.

"Try it again." she said guiding Macarena's hand a bit then she let go of the gun, and stared at her from behind her back. Macarena swallowed. 

The bullet once again flew away near the target, but close enough to knock it down, so the doll was now laying on her side. Macarena smiled.

Zulema stared at it tilting her head. "Not good enough." 

"Maybe it would be easier to focus if you wouldn't be panting into my neck." she turned back towards the other woman.

That one raised an eyebrow then she stepped away from her making an ironic little curtsy. "As you wish." 

Macarena was annoyed by her attitude, but she aimed again, this time hitting the doll, which flew into the distance.

Zulema nodded. "Not that bad." she stepped back near Macarena again, close enough to be able to whisper into her ear. "And it's good to know that you lose focus in my proximity." she said slyly.

Macarena suddenly turned around and pointed the gun at Zulema who raised her hands playfully, with a smile.

"You are annoying." she said. "I lost focus because I had to put an extra effort into not shooting you instead of that thing."

Zulema was pondering. "Then good to know you didn't." she shrugged. "Either way, I learned something too today." she grinned as she pushed down the hand holding the gun pointed at her.

"But that's enough for today. See you tomorrow, my shift starts in an hour." Zulema sighed and left Macarena standing alone in the middle of the field.

.

She smiled to herself as she entered her workplace changed into her overall, nodding at her asshole of a boss. It was just a matter of weeks until she can get out of there for good. 

She was hesitant to ask Macarena to team up with her. On one hand because she didn't trust her, on the other hand because the girl was far below her league. But not having any better options she eventually decided to start with what she had. And she wasn't truly underestimating her though, this bitch has already stabbed her in the back, and she knew that it was just a matter of time before she'll do it again. She did not see their future in a very positive light. Mainly because she felt easily capable of stabbing her in the back too if necessary.

But for some reason Zulema now had the impression that until that day comes, their association might end up being a lot more entertaining than she initially thought. 

.


	3. Home

It was a late afternoon. Macarena took the last set of clothes out of the washing machine. When she was done she noticed the dark figure standing in the door. Anyone else would have been startled by the sight of this woman resting her back against the wall, with a cigar in her hand.

"Ready for the big day?" she asked.

Macarena wasn't startled. She was excited. She felt like someone who has just glimpsed at her date after a long and boring day.

And she found the comparison ridiculous.

"Totally." she answered. "We should revise the plan again. But first let's go and eat something, I am starving."

.

The waiter put down the plates in front of them, then was about to leave, but then he reluctantly turned back towards the two women. "Can I ask you something?"

The women looked back at him questioningly, waiting.

"You've been coming here almost every day in the past weeks." the guy continued. "I sort of made a bet with my colleague.... Are you two a couple?" he asked smiling at them shyly. 

"No way! In your dreams" They answered simultaneously, Macarena throwing a crumpled napkin at him.

Zulema looked up calmly at the waiter. "If you are hoping for a long career in catering, stop digging your nose into other's business, boy." the look in her eyes was threathening. "The fish is exccelent by the way." she added to blunt the edge of her words, nodding with a smile.

"Disgusting." she turned back towards Macarena when he disappeared.

"Unimaginable." Macarena shook her head while she began eating her salad and moved with her chair a bit backwards after her leg accidentally rubbed against Zulema's under the table. Zulema probably didn't even notice it. 

"Another one we can cross out from the list of places we can visit in the future." she sighed. "It looks like we are very memorable..."

.

"...and then we get the money and we have around five minutes left to leave the place before the police arrives. Because someone will surely call them." Zulema leaned back onto a pillow fanning herself with a paper.

They were sitting on the top of Macarena's bed looking at a city map and a hand-made design plan about the restaurant they were about to rob. 

"Yeah. Will we use the face masks?" Macarena asked.

"Nah... What are we? A bunch of nerds robbing a bank?" Zulema laughed, then she rolled unto her side and looked up at Macarena smiling. "Let them remember us." 

.

The rain was pouring when they left with the money. 

"Let's take this back to my place, it's closer. We'll share it tomorrow." Macarena said.

"No." Zulema answered briefly.

"Don't look at me like that!" Macarena snapped. "You insisted for it to be put in the same bag. Do you want it all to get wet and unusable or do you want to get caught on your way back home?" 

Zulema rolled her eyes. 

"I won't be running away with it, I promise." Macarena sighed and looked at Macarena with feigned innocence.

"Fine. We take it to your place." Zulema gave in. "But I am staying too." she said firmly.

"What?!" Macarena stared at her.

Zulema shrugged. "I don't trust you. Let's go!"

.

 _I can't believe this!_ Macarena was laying on her side at the edge of her own bed. Zulema was comfortably sleeping behind her back, occupying the bigger part of it.

Macarena wasn't even hung up on the idea that they were sharing a bed, she was simply extremely annoyed by her associate. She nervously dragged the blanket towards herself. _If you cast me off my own bed, then I am taking MY blanket._ She pulled it over herself sulking, no matter that half of it was hanging onto the floor.

Zulema woke up muttering. "If we are going to keep doing this, sooner or later we'll have to learn to share things, blondie." she said without looking at her, reached out to drag the blanket back onto herself while rolling on her side towards the other edge of the bed.

Macarena had the bigger part of it for herself now. But no blanket.

 _Amazing._ She sighed, laying on her back with open eyes, considering the fact that the easiest solution would be them just moving closer to each other and they'd both easily fit under the blanket. _No way._ she got up from the bed, went out to the bathroom, came back with her bathrobe, covered herself with it, turning her back towards Zulema. _Never_. she thought and she finally fell asleep.

.

"We are in the news." Zulema said with a yawn looking at her phone.

"Wonderful." Macarena swallowed. "We stole a great amount of money but half of that is not yet enough for me to get a new place." she was nervous. "Maybe you could loan me your part, and I pay it back next time?" she tried. 

"Ahahah, no." Zulema laughed still scrolling on the webpage. "I am not doing this to take care about you."

Macarena looked at her being frustrated.

"But I have a better idea." Zulema put her phone down and looked up at her. "We buy a bigger trailer."

"Are you being serious?" Macarena laughed. "Are you now saying that we -" she made gestures with her index finger between them. "- that _we_ should be moving in together? What happened with your rules and limits?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." she pursed her lips. "Besides... we've both shared a room with worse people than we are, didn't we?" she shrugged.

Macarena slowly nodded. And she truly hoped, that they can afford a big enough trailer which can contain two beds.

.


End file.
